Dreadnought (Red Alert 3)
The Dreadnought is the heaviest and most powerful battleship fielded by the Soviet Union's Red Navy in Red Alert 3. Overview This vessel is armed with 3 separate V4 rocket launchers, which fire volleys against enemy installations and units from long range. The other naval vessels comparable in its role are; the Allied Aircraft Carriers and the Imperial Shogun Battleships. The Dreadnought is similar to the Shogun Battleship in weapon range (with the Aircraft Carrier possessing the longest range). Despite its fearsome reputation, the Dreadnought is a sitting duck against anti-surface aircraft due to its slow speed and minimal defense capability from other units should they get close enough to attack. However, if used carefully; Dreadnoughts can devastate enemy naval formations at long range. They are best used as artillery support for the Akula Subs on sea, Kirov Airships on air, and the Apocalypse Tanks on the ground. On a one-on-one basis; they are the weakest of the three siege ships- they are slower, do lesser damage per second (unless when using their special ability), slightly shorter attack range, and have a lower damage handling capacity. Like the other siege ships, it is best used with an escort of both anti-air and naval units, such as the Bullfrog, Stingray and Akula submarine. If there is more to fear aside the ship's presence - that would be the rockets that are being launched to combat. Unlike its "notorious" predecessor- the V4 Molot Rockets launched by its successor, activates a second- stage propulsion mechanism/system- allowing it to cruise at speeds untraceable or target- lock proof by enemy AA batteries and units, making and ensuring that each rocket launched- will reach its targets or to instill fear against enemies on the battlefield. Given this stance, the current- version of the Dreadnought, along with its V4 Rockets; are better capable at tracking targets compared to the Sky Knight UCAV of the Allies' Aircraft Carrier or the Shirada Cannons of the Empire's Shogun Battleship. However; the difficulties of constructing three launchers in this bulky ship design hinders the Dreadnought from using other types of the V4 missile (Precision and Multi- Warhead), a luxury enjoyed by its land faring sister: the V4 Rocket Launcher. In order to make up both for its slow rate of fire and damage done per second; the launch mechanisms of the Dreadnought can be overloaded by captains, thus increasing its rate of fire and damage done per second. However, this comes at a price: using its ability continuously would lead to rapid-severe mechanical and electrical damage in the process, and eventually- full destruction of this naval behemoth. Nevertheless, the Dreadnought is capable of dealing superior damage similar to that of its rivals in other factions. The captains commanding these naval behemoths are screened from the pool of Soviet hardened veterans. As such, they are chosen so to command these ships; in order that the captain or the ship's crew will not succumb in desire to rebel (or accept bribery) in any condition. Usage In the Allied perspective of the War of the Three Powers, Soviet General Krukov used the new Dreadnoughts to attack Brighton Beach (Great Britain), the coastal city Allied Squadron CommanderGiles Price and the unnamed Allied commander were protecting, but ended up being sunk by the Allies' Century Bombers and coastal guns. In Operation "The Shark and the Lure", Tanya drew the escorting Akula subs away from the Dreadnoughts into her trap, sinking them prematurely. While working with the Allies in the North Sea against the Empire of the Rising Sun, they also helped in destroying the Black Tortoise, one of the Empire's Floating Fortresses. Once the Empire was defeated, the Dreadnoughts later on protected Havana and eventually- Leningrad. In the Imperial Campaign, they appear as powerful foes, especially in the mission "Barbarians at the Bay" where Krukov and the Allied Commander Lissette Hanley sent Aircraft Carriers and Dreadnoughts to blow up both Yuriko Omega, as well as the bases of the Imperial Commander and Shinzo Nagama, but ended up in the depths of the Imperial Sea. In "Crumble Kremlin Crumble", the Imperial Commander was given access to these Soviet naval behemoths, after he captures two undefended Soviet VIP Bunkers in the vicinity- in order to defeat the Soviet Army once and for all. However Soviet General Krukov also deploys these sea monsters, in an attempt to avert the Imperial invasion of Moscow and the destruction of the Kremlin; however these Red capital ships, along with the Soviet Army stationed within Moscow and the Kremlin; have perished in the hands of the Shogun Executioner, as well as the full might of the Empire's forces. In Uprising, these sea monsters, along with a more deadlier Soviet Arsenal- were deployed once again by Soviet General Oleg Vodnik and Soviet Warlord Nikolai Moskvin; in an attempt to capture Sakhalin and Oki Island- both are territories of Imperial Japan. However, all of them were annihilated swiftly by Imperial Forces. In the final Imperial Operation, the Imperial Commander manages to seize control of the Soviet frontline base stationed in Vladivostok and deploys these Red Navy Ships and join the Imperial Cause: to make both Oleg and Moskvin pay for their barbaric atrocities against the Empire of the Rising Sun, as well as to avert the incoming armed intervention forces under the leadership of Allied Occupational Forces Director Giles Price. In the end, the Allies have retreated (and/or some of its production facilities were captured to use against the two Soviet war beasts), and with the aid of the Empire's new Giga- Fortresses; the two Soviet warmongers have been defeated; and Vladivostok was recaptured by the Imperials- thus bringing the Imperial Might back on its feet. In the Soviet perspective of the War, two of these new Dreadnoughts were recovered from Imperial captivity and joined the battle in order to assist both Soviet Air Force Commander Zhana and the Soviet Commander in taking back the naval port/ city of Vladivostok, recently seized by Imperial forces, once more playing a major role in the War. Later on, the Dreadnoughts were given clearance for mass production via the Soviet Naval Yards stationed at Mykonos in Greece, wherein they showcased its "Sacrifice Launchers" special ability to deal quick- sweep destruction against Allied Commander Warren Fuller's military installation and were victorious in capturing the Allied Science Research Facility. These ships were proved combat-effective as the Soviets capture and annihilate the remainder of the Allied forces stationed at Von Esling Airbase in Iceland, and has somehow participated in the assassination operation against Emperor Yoshiro in Imperial Japan. At Easter Island, a Soviet Ambassador was on board a Dreadnought to meet with the Allied Emissary to sign a "peace treaty" between the two nations- but was part of a trap laid by the Soviets which was partially successful- as a mad Soviet Premier Anatoly Cherdenko launches an attack to eliminate both Commander Zhana Agonskaya and the Soviet Commander, who knew the premier's true intentions. Cherdenko deploys his loyalist forces which includes a fleet of Dreadnoughts, however were all defeated in the hands of the Soviet Commander. In the final operation, four Dreadnoughts attacked the Statue of Liberty again, only to end up being sunk by Tanya in retaliation- again. However, as the Allied defenses in New York crumbled, another set of Dreadnoughts along with the full might of the Soviet Army, gave the Allies its one final blow- the destruction of the Statue of Liberty which led to Red Victory; symbolizing the establishment of a Red World. In Uprising, the Dreadnoughts were once again deployed to take down the Future Tech Research Facilities located at Murmansk in Northern Russia, and at Yucatan in Mexico. These Red Navy bombardment ships have also proved its might by taking down the Allies- Future Tech units defending the Sigma Harmonizer facility at Sigma Island, thus restoring back the Soviet Union to its former greatness. History The Dreadnought has served in the Soviet Navy for a long time, well before the first V4 Molot (Hammer) Rocket destroyed its first target in Siberia. An imposing hulk of a ship, its massive size was chosen by Soviet Navy Master Shipwright Sergei Kondakov to be the basis for a next generation naval artillery battleship. Even with such a large ship, fitting the launch mechanism onto the ship was a daunting task. Every deck has to be reconfigured to accommodate the launchers, missile delivery lines and storage decks. The cuts includes reducing the size of the living quarters and eliminating an auxiliary toilet (thus earning the ship several unfavorable nicknames among Soviet sailors). However, they eventually managed to complete their task, and the first battle-ready V4 Rocket/ Missile-armed Dreadnoughts entered service. Master Shipwright Kondakov didn't consider the current- version of the Dreadnought a full success: the ship still requires to come to a full stop before launching a volley. To counter this, Kondakov reverse engineered the jet propulsion of the MiG Fighter, and redesigned it to use a steam-based thrust mechanism and created a system of precise shock absorption that counteracts the kickback of the V4 Molot Rocket. Quotes *Are you prepared to fight Comrades?! *Forward Comrades! *Onward! *These waters belong to Russia! *The seas will run RED! *The seas tremble beneath us! *Seafaring Patriots! *If Lenin could (only) see us now... *Enemies of the Union shall BURN! *Let us ravage the seas! *Smite them down! *None shall oppose the Union! *We fight to the last man and rocket! *Take your positions comrades! *Stand together and fight comrades! *Our hull cannot be breached so easily... *We shall prevail! *Do not relent! *Patriotism begets victory! *We fight for our noble cause! *The moment we have waited for! *Our time has come! *End their arrogance! *Continue all launchers! *These enemies will perish! *Maul these hapless fools! *We have withstood up our strengths... *We have stood up for our strengths... *Do not let fear take hold! *They shall be no more! *They cannot damage our will! *Their surrender is inevitable! *We shall arrive- as heroes... *To war! *Destroy them! *Can you feel the Soviet might?! *Attack! Gallery File:RA3 Dreadnought2sm.jpg|Concept art File:RA3 Soviet Dreadnaught.jpg|Concept art - profile view RA3 Dreadnought1sm.jpg|Concept art - cross section view Dreadnought in attack.PNG|Dreadnought attacking an Allied base Russian Battle Cruiser Pyotr Velikiy.gif|Missile Cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, functionally the closest thing reality gets to the in-game Dreadnought. See also *Aircraft Carrier - Allies' long range battleship counterpart. *Shogun Battleship - Imperial's long range battleship counterpart. *V4 Rocket Launcher - Soviet Army's Land- based Mobile Artillery counterpart. *Dreadnought (Red Alert 2) - Red Alert 2's predecessor. *Missile submarine - Red Alert 1's predecessor. Category:Red Alert 3 Ships